Harmony of the Gospels

174. Jesus dies- Matt. 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46-49, John 19:30

 

-The Scriptures describe Jesus’ final few moments in great detail before He gave up His Spirit and returned to the Father victorious without sin or blemish in His earthly mission to rescue and saved mankind. He received the sour wine (John 19:30), uttered a loud cry, claimed “It is finished,” said “Father into Your Hands I commit My Spirit (Luke 23:46),” bowed His head, and gave up His Spirit.

-The centurion who had been taking care of the crucifixion process, much like the penitent thief, turned in his demeanor and attitude based on Luke’s testimony (Luke 23:47). He praised God and claimed Jesus’ innocence, which was a drastic turn from the mockery he inflicted, or at least allowed under his command as a Roman authority. For this to have happened we must conclude that the supernatural events that were taking place (earthquake, darkness, Temple veil torn, graves opening, etc.) and Jesus’ calm and steadfast Spirit as a testimony must have won him over to see what he hadn’t seen before. He had an up close and personal vantage point of all these incredible events, and it changed him radically it appears by his confession that this was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39).

-The crowds who had come together for this, as the Bible describes, spectacle returned home beating their breasts (Luke 23:48, cross reference Luke 18:13) as a demonstration of possible grief and repentance. As Jesus had stated, they knew not what they did, and it was now too late at least in their finite-natural minds (Luke 23:34). Perhaps this was a realization of the truth and deep Godly sorrow. Christ had come in peace and they violently put Him to a horrific death on the excruciating cross. He had gone innocently as the Lamb of God to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7) and now these people may have felt deep regret for their actions. His acquaintances and the women who had followed Him from Galilee stood at a distance watching all these things (Luke 23:49).

-*Application* The death of our Lord and Savior should have the same impact on us as it did for those who stood by witnessing the scene in all its terror, sadness, and ultimate glory unto God. We in this thanksgiving season should reflect deeply on the cost of Christ’s sacrifice for us and the opportunity it gives us to have new life in Him abundant and free. By His wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24)! Glory unto our Great and Awesome King forever! I am reminded of the words of a song”

“This is life.
It's mine to waste or use.
But it's time that I decided.
It's time for me to chose.
Cause who am I?
That You would die to prove.
That the worthless are all worth it.
The curse has been removed.
So this is life.
Although I'm passing through...
I wanna live as if I'm dying.
Dying to get close to You!”

Closer by Philmont

 

Verse to Memorize- John 19:30

 

175. Veil of Temple torn, earthquakes & graves opened- Matt. 27:51-54, Mark 15:38-39, Luke 23:45, 47

 

-At the moment of Christ’s departure, some supernatural events took place that the gospel writers included in their biographies. The earth shook violently (earthquakes are common in this region, but the timing of God was impeccable here as to only be of Him). The veil of Temple tore in two from top to bottom at this time, which was very thick. In fact it was too thick to even be separated by an earthquake or the falling of the lintel (for more precise commentary on the veil a great source is: http://www.reformedonline.com/view/reformedonline/20%20Split%20Veil,%20etc.htm). *Application* This event has incredible theological implications as the legalistic dispensation is concluded and the age of the indwelling Holy Spirit is in many ways initiated by the access to the Holy of Holies, which Jesus’ death provided. We cannot minimize the significance of this moment. Jesus had claimed that He would destroy the Temple and in three days rebuild it (John 2:19-22). This tearing of the veil from top to bottom was God’s opening up of Himself to every nation and tribe for the spreading of His glory. He would be concealed no longer. His death made a way for the simple plan of salvation to be disseminated across the globe. This was only the beginning. This visible manifestation to the religious leaders would have and should have been a real wakeup call that Jesus was who He claimed to be. The sad thing is even this could not awaken the faith of many of these hard hearted religious stalwarts of tradition.

-We also see the dead resurrected in part and coming into the Holy City being seen by many witnesses after the resurrection of Christ on the third day, Sunday (Matthew 27:53). This is a mystifying and perplexing event that only one biblical author describes in only two verses of Scripture. There is no other biblical or historical account of this event, and Matthew treats it topically out of the order of events here for a theological purpose of emphasizing the resurrection in the midst of the crucifixion. These individuals were no doubt Old Testament believers who had looked forward to the Messiah and His promise and were now resurrected along with the risen Savior (Matthew 27:52 uses the term “raised” to indicate a difference from resuscitations like with Lazarus in John 11:44). We may have some other Scriptural evidence and some shedding of light on this occurrence in Isaiah 26:19, Ezekiel 37, and 1 Peter 3:18-21; 4:6. These resurrected bodies that appeared to many in Jerusalem from their tombs more than likely ascended to Heaven near the time of Christ’s ascension if not simultaneously. Of course this is conjecture because it is not clear in the biblical account. *Application* This resurrection account provides the biblical motif for our own resurrection in Christ, which is best delineated in 1 Corinthians 15. Christ Jesus is the first fruits of the eternal life we can all have in Him by placing our faith in His gracious work on the cross (Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 15:20, James 1:18). This is what makes the gospel so impactful for us concerning the hope of glory. This theme is also foreshadowed in the Old Testament by Moses (Exodus 23:16-19; 34:22-26) and other prophets (Nehemiah 10:35, Ezekiel 44:30). (For more on this topic see: http://christianthinktank.com/oddrise.html.)

 

Verse to Memorize- Matthew 27:54